Those lucky enough to live here in Western Australia certainly appreciate our blue skies and virtually pollution and smog-free environment.
But the threat of air pollution is never far away. We all contribute to it, particularly those of us who drive poorly maintained cars which emit toxic fumes into the air.
As well as polluting the outside air, studies both here and overseas have shown the level of pollutants inside the car can be up to five times higher than the air outside.
If you travel to and from work in a poorly maintained car that emits high levels of pollutants like carbon monoxide, benzene and other volatile organic compounds, you could be creating a health risk for yourself and your passengers.
Research by the RAC indicates that levels inside older, less well maintained cars can be much higher than newer, better maintained cars.
You can reduce the risk by regularly maintaining your vehicle.
A study by the Federal Office of Road Safety in the mid 1990s, titled the National In Service Vehicle Emissions Study (NISE), highlighted the effect of vehicle maintenance on vehicle emissions levels. Table 1 below shows that there was a reduction of up to 26% in pollutants emitted after correctly tuning the vehicles in the study.
Of these reductions, 80% came from the worst 20% of vehicles. The reductions in individual vehicles were well over 90%.
Table 1: Reduction in Pollutant Emissions from Tuning |
|
|
All cars
in study |
Pre 1986
Cars |
Post 1986
Cars |
HC |
16% |
14% |
21% |
CO |
25% |
26% |
24% |
NOx |
9% |
8% |
9% |
Maintenance need not be expensive.
Some improvements may cost you nothing and could even save you money. For example harsh acceleration generates up to eight times the emission levels compared to a gentler style of driving. Minimising harsh acceleration will also reduce your petrol consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Other solutions could be simply replacing your fuel filler cap or getting a new set of spark plugs. Table 2 lists the most commonly replaced parts in the NISE study. Many of these are not expensive or difficult to replace.
Table 2: Most commonly replaced parts |
Part |
Proportion of relevant vehicles where part replaced |
Spark Plugs (set) |
93% |
Fuel Filter |
70% |
Fuel Cap |
35% |
High Tension Leads |
24% |
Distributor Cap |
14% |
Rotor Arm |
13% |
Catalytic Converter |
4% |
Oxygen Sensor |
2% |
Correctly tuning your car not only benefits the environment but also your health, the health of your passengers and those in the car behind you. And remember, there are alternative forms of transport you can use that are healthier for you as well as the environment. For short journeys why not walk or cycle. For longer trips investigate the possibility of using public transport occasionally or on a regular basis.